1-minute HIV test to debut in S.A.

Updated 6:18 am, Thursday, May 30, 2013

Alberto Barragan of the San Antonio AIDS Foundation demonstrates the 60-second HIV test, known as the INSTI HIV-1 Antibody Test. The previous screening method took 20 minutes to provide results.

Alberto Barragan of the San Antonio AIDS Foundation demonstrates the 60-second HIV test, known as the INSTI HIV-1 Antibody Test. The previous screening method took 20 minutes to provide results.

Photo: Helen L. Montoya / San Antonio Express-News

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Alberto Barragan San Antonio AIDS Foundation (SAAF) demonstrates the 60-second HIV test on Wednesday May 29, 2013. The test, known as the INSTI HIV-1 Antibody Test, generates results in 60 seconds - much faster than the previously approved tests that take 20 minutes to yield results. The San Antonio AIDS Foundation will begin offering the tests to the public June 25 through their mobile testing program and at their office. The 60-second tests are free and confidential and do not require minors to obtain their parents consent less

Alberto Barragan San Antonio AIDS Foundation (SAAF) demonstrates the 60-second HIV test on Wednesday May 29, 2013. The test, known as the INSTI HIV-1 Antibody Test, generates results in 60 seconds - much faster ... more

Photo: San Antonio Express-News

Image 3 of 3

Alberto Barragan San Antonio AIDS Foundation (SAAF) demonstrates the 60-second HIV test on Wednesday May 29, 2013. The test, known as the INSTI HIV-1 Antibody Test, generates results in 60 seconds - much faster than the previously approved tests that take 20 minutes to yield results. The San Antonio AIDS Foundation will begin offering the tests to the public June 25 through their mobile testing program and at their office. The 60-second tests are free and confidential and do not require minors to obtain their parents consent less

Alberto Barragan San Antonio AIDS Foundation (SAAF) demonstrates the 60-second HIV test on Wednesday May 29, 2013. The test, known as the INSTI HIV-1 Antibody Test, generates results in 60 seconds - much faster ... more

The blood draw, known as the INSTI HIV-1 Antibody Test, is faster than the previous screening method, which took 20 minutes to provide results. The faster test will debut locally Wednesday and will be offered free of charge.

The 60-second test eliminates the possibility that patients will fail to follow up or will lose their nerve and walk away while waiting for their results.

“The advantage of this test is this is instant,” said Jill Rips, the San Antonio AIDS Foundation's deputy executive director. “The test counselor and the client find out the test results at the same time.”

The faster method will allow the foundation to screen more people in the same amount of time and do more community outreach through its mobile testing van. Already, the foundation is on track to provide 5,000 HIV tests this year, a significant increase from the 3,000 tests done last year.

Because San Antonio is a “late-to-care community,” some people are diagnosed with AIDS long after being infected with the HIV virus, which can occur up to 10 years earlier, foundation officials said.

A local needs assessment found nearly 25 percent of those infected with HIV or suffering from AIDS are diagnosed in emergency rooms, they said.

The faster test can also detect HIV antibodies four to six weeks after initial exposure, while the previous test yielded positive results typically no sooner than three months after a person was infected.

The INSTI HIV-1 Antibody Test also costs half as much as its predecessor. The instant test — manufactured by the Canadian company bioLytical Laboratories and approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the U.S. — costs about $7 to $8 per unit, Rips said.

The San Antonio AIDS Foundation will begin offering INSTI tests to the public at its office at 818 E. Grayson from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday. Its mobile testing van also will offer the tests from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. that day at Walgreens at 121 N. Zarzamora.

Testing is done throughout the year at the foundation's office from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Mobile testing sites change daily.

The blood draw is free and confidential. Minors do not need parents' consent to be tested.

Those who test positive undergo a follow-up confirmation blood draw, which involves sending the specimen to a lab and can take seven to 10 days to yield results.

pohare@express-news.net

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